I knew we’d eventually be inundated by Star Wars movies after Disney took over but for some reason I figured they would start arriving after the current trilogy was complete.

However my hope is that we’ll see more variety in terms of style. I’m all for Stormtroopers and AT-ATs and space battles but I’m sure someone could manage to get more creative than that. It’s a big, diverse galaxy after all.

Do you watch Rebels? A bit more variety. What is neat is they include many prototype designs not in the movies into the new cartoon, as well as making a toy into a cannon vehicle (Stormtrooper transport).

ETA - The finale of season 2 of Rebels actually managed to illicit an emotional response. Bravo.

Interesting to see how far the Star Wars films have come on representations of women in the short time since Disney grabbed the franchise.

First we had six consecutive films which all failed the Bechdel test, and in which the only female characters deemed important enough to have their names mentioned onscreen were all close relatives of Luke Skywalker.

Then The Force Awakens gave us a female main character who may or may not be related to Skywalker but who at least had meaningful conversations with at least two other women.

Now we have a movie with a female main character that passes the Bechdel test in the first few seconds of the trailer! And it looks like Mon Mothma might get more than 30 seconds of screen time this time around too.

The only question is “how will Hasbro manage to avoid making any action figures based on female characters this time around?”

You know, at first I was kinda not interested in these EU filler movies Disney had planned, but that trailer was pretty good. Plus, Mads Mikkelsen and Donnie Yen in the same movie?! Fuck yeah, we’re going to go see it!

I feel fortunate in having purchased Xmas toys for our boy a month before the movie opened. Parents didn’t really seem to know who any of the characters were at that point, so I was able to get the speeder. My buddy out in Boston sent the lego set, so he’s got the only two Rey toys any toy company could be arsed to produce before public pressure forced them to.

Still looking for Hera and Sabine 4" figures that aren’t collector priced. The boy’s a bit irritated that his Ghost is missing it’s pilot and reformed bounty hunter.

I really hate to have to speak up in defense of the prequels, but technically the opening of Episode II during the attempt on Amidala’s life meets the Bechdel Test. Corde speaks to Padme (very briefly) about failing her. It’s short enough that I’d be fine not counting it, but it seems to at least barely count.

To be fair though, the exchange between Senator Amidala and the new Queen of Naboo probably wipes out any other conversation that might qualify because an old white man constantly talks over the two women.

And can I say how happy I was to see Mon Mothma? I love you, Mon Mothma.

Good lookalike casting, at any rate. Apparently that actress also played Mothma in Revenge of the Sith but I honestly can’t remember the character in that one.

The interesting thing about Mothma is that she became a legendary character despite having less than 30 seconds of screen time in the original trilogy, all confined to a single monologue about how to blow up the second Death Star. The bearded professor-looking guy who gave the PowerPoint presentation in the first Star Wars had essentially the same role but never really achieved that kind of cult following. Must be his dumpy wardrobe.

The interesting thing about Mothma is that she became a legendary character despite having less than 30 seconds of screen time in the original trilogy

As a kid, I think what impressed me was that we’d spent a whole lot of time among the leaders of the Empire, who were all either creepy and horrible or sniveling British guys. When we finally meet the leader of the Rebellion, she’s an elegant, striking woman who has a real presence. For only being on screen for less than a minute, she projected leadership and confidence.